Analysis of quasi-elastic neutrino charged-current scattering off $^{16}$O and neutrino energy reconstruction

TL;DR

This paper analyzes muon neutrino quasi-elastic scattering off oxygen using RDWIA, compares it with RFGM, and studies the nuclear-model dependence of neutrino energy reconstruction accuracy up to 2.5 GeV.

Contribution

It provides a detailed RDWIA calculation of cross sections and assesses the nuclear-model dependence of neutrino energy reconstruction for oxygen targets.

Findings

RDWIA cross sections are lower than RFGM for Q^2 ≤ 0.2 (GeV/c)^2

Energy reconstruction accuracy depends on nuclear model for one-track events

Nuclear-model dependence affects neutrino energy estimates up to 2.5 GeV

Abstract

The charged-current quasi-elastic scattering of muon neutrino on the oxygen target is analyzed for neutrino energy up to 2.5 GeV using the Relativistic Distorted-Wave Impulse Approximation (RDWIA). The inclusive cross sections $d^2\sigma/dQ^2$, calculated within the RDWIA, are lower than the Relativistic Fermi Gas Model (RFGM) results in the range of the square of four-momentum transfer $Q^2\leq$0.2 (GeV/c)$^2$. We have also studied the nuclear-model dependence of the neutrino energy reconstruction accuracy using the charged-current quasi-elastic events with no detector effects and background. We found that for one-track events the accuracy is nuclear-model dependent for neutrino energy up to 2.5 GeV.